Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1887-04-01
CHAPTER III.

Assoon as Boobies had spare moment he
made his way to the adjutants quarters,
where he found Mrs. Gray playing with the
mysterious baby.
"Ch, is that you, Capt. Ferrersf she
exclaimed. "Come and see your waif She
is the dearest little thing Why, do be-
leve she knows you"
Bottles whistled to the child, which
promptly made a grab at his chain, AMI
when he sat down on thu sofa on which it
was sprawling, tried very hard to get at the
gold badge ON his collar. Shoulder badges
had not then come in.
''Mrs Gray" Boobies said, "she's very
well dressed, is she notf'
"Oh, very" Mrs Gray answered, smooth
ing out the child's skirt 50 as to display the
fine and deep embroidery. Unusually So
All its clothes are of the finest and most ex-
rensive description"
II thought so: it doesn't look like o COM
mon child, chr
'sNot at ALL" replied the lady, promptly
"Well," Boobies told her, "rve been NEST
numerically chaffed, which was onl. to t.
expected; but the colonel takes my W ID
about it, and Of course the others DOM ma
ter. can't think, though, why the mot or
has chosen me-"
"Ah, well, you see. Capt. Ferrers," said
Ito adjutant's wife, with Q smile, ut l,
rather inconvenient sometimes to have a
character for great kindness Of heart.
should say you are the greatest favorite in
the regiment, and, naturally enough, the
officers speak Of it sometimes In society.
oh, Bootles is this. and Bottles Is that; :
Bottles wouldn't turn dog from his door;
Boobies would share his last sixpence with
poor chap who was down. and so on. i
have heard, Capt Ferrers, Of your empty
ing your pockets to divide among three poor
tramps who had begged no more than pipe
Of tobacco. Ihave heard of your standing
up for''-with q deeper Emile-''the poor
devils Of casuals; and il I hear It, why not
othersl why not the mother Of this childf'
"True. But think you ali overrate ny
character" Bottles replied, modestly. 'You
know don't go in for being sanity at all. ="
THAT is just it. If you didyou would have
no more influence than Maj Allardyce,
whom every one laughs at. But you don't;
you are one Of themselves, and yet you will
always help man who is down; you will do
any unfortunate creature a good turn. Oh,
hear good deal, though you choose to
make light Of it. And you know, Capt
Ferrers, we are not told that the good Sam
aritan made great spluttering about what
he did; but the professional saints, the prize It
and the Levite, passed by ON the other side.
"You are very complimentary" Boobies
said, blushiDg little; much more than !
deserve, I'm sure The fellows" Laughing
at the remembrance, ''were much less merci.
full Then about thu child. Dawson sug-
gests sending it to the police station, the
colonel to the workhouse; and one means the
other, Of course"
Mrs. Gray caught the child to her breast
with cry Of dismay, and Boobies went on:
"Yes, feel as you do about it. I can't
do it, and that's all about it It would be
on my conscience all my life. Besides, some
day the mother might come back for it, and
though, Of course, as the colonel says, there
Is no claim upon me, yet II for the sake Of q
| few pounds had turned the poor little beg
gar adrift, ruined its ife-why I simply
couldn't face her, and that's all about It.
And besides that, Mrs Gray, I have lark.
| ing suspicion that the letter Is genuine and
That it was not written to or intended fol-
me. Il reads to me like the letter Of 9
woman who was desperate"
"Yes, woman must have been desperate
indeed to willingly part with such child as
that" said Mrs Gray, smoothing the god
baby curls.
$50 think. for nature is nature all the
world over" Bottles answered. "And BE-
sides, to tell you the honet truth, there is q
resemblance in the child to some one
knew once"
"YesF eagerly.
"Oh no, not thati She il dead. She wa
engaged to a fellow l knew, desperately
fond Of him, and he-jilted her,"
'Mr. KERR
Bottles stared. "Who told your
HE told me himself, think to ease biz
mind" she answered, quietly.
"Ahl Well, it killed her. She died
heart-broken- I saw her." he said, RISING
and going to the window, whence he stood
staring out over the square, "a few hour,
after she died. That child's mother NAV
look like that now, and I can't and won't
turn it adrift whatever the fellows or any
one else chooses to think or say, and that
all about it"
Two bright tears gathered in Mrs. Gray'l
eyes, and falling, fell upon the baby's curl,
Of gold, two priceless diamonds from thu
unfathomable and exhaustless mines of pity
For . moment or two there was silence
broken at Last by the childs laugh, as a ray
Of Gckly winter sunshine fell upon the gilt
tering chain In its little hands. The sound